26David Bowie
David Bowie lured unknown Stevie Ray Vaughn to play on his 1983 album “Let’s Dance” by dangling an opening act on tour. However, after recording, Vaughn was relegated to a backup musician and wouldn’t be allowed to talk about his music. So, he quit, released “Texas Flood”, and became a superstar instead.
27. In 1963, Robert Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper, presented it to Ford Motor Co., and was hired. Ford fired him and took his technology. He sued Ford for patent infringement and after 12 years of litigation, at times without a lawyer, the court awarded Kearns $10.3 million.
28. A doctor reviewed the injuries sustained by Marv and Harry in Home Alone 1 and 2, and concluded that 23 of the injuries would have resulted in death.
29. In 2014, the Indian government employed 40 people to impersonate monkeys, to scare off real monkeys causing havoc around the parliament in Delhi. The men made screeching noises similar to those of black-faced langur monkeys, imitating their whoops and barks, to frighten red-faced macaque monkeys.
30. Lenny Kravitz was named after his uncle Leonard Kravitz, who died saving the lives of other Korean War soldiers in 1951. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2012 after Congress reviewed Jewish (and Hispanic) recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross who were denied the higher honor.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
31Louis III of France
In 882 A.D., Louis III of France mounted his horse in pursuit of a girl who was running to seek refuge in her father’s house. He then rode through a low door, hit his head on the lintel and fractured his skull. He died childless. He is one of two French kings to die from hitting a door lintel.
32. Late wrestler Bam Bam Bigelow once saved three children from a burning house and 40% of his skin was left with second-degree burns forcing him to retire and being hospitalized for two months. Bam Bam said he had “no regrets” of his act of courage, as long as all three kids were safe.
33. Motts Tonelli was a Notre Dame fullback who ran in the winning touchdown against University of Sothern California in 1937. About five years later in 1942, he had his class ring confiscated during the Bataan Death March. A Japanese officer returned his ring, telling Tonelli that he was US-educated and recognized him from his time at USC.
34. In 1991, it was discovered that human heart has its own “little brain” or “intrinsic cardiac nervous system.” This “heart brain” is composed of approximately 40,000 neurons that are alike neurons in the brain, meaning that the heart has its own nervous system.
35. Alexander Fleming’s mold could not produce penicillin fast enough for mass production. It wasn’t until 15 years later that his lab worker ‘Mouldy’ Mary Hunt tested a moldy cantaloupe in a grocery store and discovered the strain that is used to produce all penicillin today.
